


The Neighbour With a Police Box in His Kitchen

by DarkShine



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: David Tennant - Freeform, F/M, doctor who - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-14
Updated: 2014-06-14
Packaged: 2018-02-04 15:25:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1783960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkShine/pseuds/DarkShine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura is an ordinary student living in Ireland, but when her physics teacher unexpectedly wins the lottery and the new physics teacher takes over, strange and unexplainable things have started to happen and Laura's new physics teacher. Mr. Smith, seems to be the only one who believes her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Neighbour With a Police Box in His Kitchen

Chapter 1.

"Laura! Get up!" Yelled Laura's mum, who was busy clattering pans and making as much noise as possible in the kitchen. "No!" Replied Laura, weakly though, as she was still groggy. "It's Saturday!" "No, it's Sunday, actually!" Called Laura's mum. "Same difference! It's still the weekend!" Laura was getting angry now. She had never understood how her mother could be so chirpy and energetic in the morning. It just didn't make sense. No human in their right mind - well , whether or not Laura's mum was in her right mind or not was debatable - could wake up at 8 every morning (or earlier) and have the energy to hop skip and jump around for the rest of the day. Laura thought she may as well get up, as she obviously wasn't going to get back to sleep again with all that racket going on downstairs. She looked at the clock, which read 09:15. Laura groaned angrily and got out of bed.  
Once she had got dressed and brushed her teeth, Laura went downstairs and gave her mother the 'you-know-I-hate-it-when-my-slumber-is-interrupted-mortal' look, which her mother smiled at, and replied with, "Don't give me that look,, Laura Hale. It isn't good for you to sleep in too long!" "Yes," replied Laura, "but neither is waking up at 8 in the morning by pans and plates banging about in the kitchen. Not every morning should begin with a heart attack, you know. That's what alarm clocks are for!" Laura's mother just laughed and took some toast and handed it to Laura, saying, "Oh, cry me a river, now go watch TV like a good little human"

Laura was sitting in the living room, eating toast and watching 'Friends'. The credits had just ended when a knock at the door made her jump. She wondered who would be calling at this time in the morning, it couldn't be the postman, there's no post on Sundays. Getting up off the sofa, Laura put down her plate and went to answer the door. She opened the door, to find a man in a brown pinstriped suit, light brown trench coat and white converse staring back at her. Smiling, he said; "Hello! Hope I’m not intruding. I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm John Smith, your new neighbour! I've just moved in next door." He had a British accent. Laura smiled back, and replied, “Oh, no not at all. I'm an early riser. My name's Laura," She said, putting out her hand which the man shook vigorously. "Brilliant name, Laura. I just moved here from... er... York! Yes, York, that's it." At that moment Laura's mother came to the door, curious about who would be calling so early in the morning. "Oh! Good morning," she said, flinging a tea towel over her shoulder. "Are you alright?" "Oh, I'm fantastic!" grinned John "And how are you?" "I'm fine, thank you," smiled Laura's mum. They stared at each for about 4 seconds before John realized, "Oh! Terribly sorry. I'm John Smith. I just moved in next door to you and thought I'd introduce myself" "Ah, that's good," said Laura's mum. "I'm Rose. Welcome to Ireland!" John's smile seemed to falter a little at these words, but was gone as soon as it had come. Laura thought she must have imagined it and it was quickly forgotten. "Thank you, Rose. It's a very pretty country. Well, I'm terribly sorry, but I believe I have a job interview soon, and don't want to be late! It was nice meeting you, Rose. And you too, Laura. I hope we can talk again soon. Cheerio!" and with this he quickly turned around and disappeared into the house next door. "Well," said Rose, closing the door behind her. "He was a nice fellow, wasn't he? Not many people would come over and introduce themselves." Laura thought back to the man, thinking he was rather handsome. A bit strange, though, how he had nearly forgotten where he was from. Ah, well. "He was rather nice, yes." said Laura. She went into the living room to get the toast plate and put it in the sink. She then went upstairs to her room to listen to some Muse and All Time Low, and maybe try and get past that dragon on Skyrim. The man had completely left her mind, as she wiled away the hours until school the next day.

Chapter 2 

At 7 o'clock, Laura's alarm came bursting through the door of her bedroom, saying, "Laura! C'mon, up! Up up up! School today!" "No mammy... I’m too sick *cough* *cough*." Lied Laura, hoping her mother would show some kind of sympathy, and allow her to stay off school. "Oh, alright then. You stay in your bed then, if you’re sick," Said Rose turning her back and smirking secretly. "Reall- oh. OK. Thanks for understanding," Laura couldn't believe that that had worked! She was smiling into her pillow when she heard her mum say, "Now, where did I put that Covonia...?" “I’m up! I'm up I’m up I’m up!" yelled Laura, terrified of the prospect of that disgusting cough medicine being forced down her throat. "Thought so," smiled Rose. "Now hurry up and get dressed or you'll be late!"

As Laura made her way out the door to the bus stop, she nearly walked into John, who was also making his way out of his gate. "Good morning, Laura!" he said cheerily. "Going to the bus stop, I’m guessing?" he was wearing the same suit and shoes as the day before. "Mornin', John," smiled Laura. "Yeah, I’m headed to the bus stop now." "Brilliant! So am I."Said John, straightening his loose tie. "Would you mind walking up with me?" Laura didn't mind at all, and said so. So John and Laura walked the 5 minutes to the bus stop, John chatting merrily, while Laura listened and occasionally asked questions. "What do you like most about Ireland, then? Asked Laura. John thought for a moment before saying, "Would the Guinness be an acceptable answer?" Laura laughed, and replied, "Well, it is the most common answer I get when I ask that question, so yes it is." John laughed and said he only joking, and that he loved the peace and quiet of the country side. When they reached the bus stop, Laura asked “So, did you get that job you were being interviewed for yesterday?" "I did, yes! In fact, I’m heading there now!" "Really? That's brilliant! And where is it, if you don't me asking?" Laura was glad that John had got the job. "Thanks!" smiled John, "I'll be teaching physics at St. Michael's." "Oh!" Exclaimed Laura. "I go to St. Michael's!" John's smile widened at these words. "Great! At least I’ll have one friend while I’m there. I'll be taking over from a Mr… Prawn? He handed in his notice on Friday afternoon, after winning the lottery." Laura liked the fact of John referring to her as a friend. Mr 'Prawn' used to be her teacher, and he was a nasty piece of work, which meant that John was now her physics teacher instead, which was brilliant. "I suppose I’m going to have to call you Mr Smith from now on then? You'll be teaching me by the way."  
"Oh! Even better! You can just call me Doctor. Only in school, of course. Outside you can call me John if you wish." "Sounds good. Oh, and uh.. John?" "Yes Laura?" "I think you meant Mr Prin." John smiled, and they both got on the bus waiting in front of them

 

 

 

Chapter 3.

Laura was checking over her timetable to see what her last 3 lessons of the day were, whilst chatting to her friends Jen and Cain. “Laura," grinned Jen, "It`s February. How can you not know your timetable yet?" "You know what my memory's like!" Replied Laura. "For God's sake, woman! We go to geography now, then history and we finish the day off with physics!" Cain laughed, shaking his head in mock shame. "Physics? Brilliant!" Cain and Jen looked at Laura as if she belonged in an asylum. "Have you gone mad?" Cain practically yelled, "You hate Mr Prin!" "I know. I'm happy because Mr Prin took an early retirement," Laura was smiling. "And I know the new teacher." "Mr Prin's GONE?" Cheered Cain, who was now doing a victory dance down the hall, while passing students were giggling and muttering "feckin' eejit."

"So what's this new teacher like?" Asked Jen, as her and Laura took their physics books. Her question was answered as John strode into the classroom, without his trench coat, which was hanging on a hook behind the door. "You can put away your books," he said, "I think we'll end this day with conversation. I want to know you all before I start teaching properly." There was a rustle of books being put away and quiet whispers of ‘yes!' From all over the room. "Well, I’m Mr Smith. I will be taking over from Mr Praw- uh, Mr Prin. I like to travel and to read. Your turn!" He pointed his fingers like to guns, and pretended to fire at the first person on the row and leaned against his desk. He listened to everyone as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever heard in his life. He finally reached Laura, who was last up. "And how about you, Laura? Care to tell me a bit about yourself?" His smile was so friendly. And the man had a nice head of hair. All spikey and brown and... Laura realised she had been asked a question. "Uh..." The class giggled. "Shh, shh, listen now," said Mr Smith, but not impatiently. "Well... I..." Began Laura, "I like Muse and camping. And I like playing the PlayStation." "That's great! I like the PlayStation myself. Whenever I have the time, of course." He smiled as if this was his own little private joke. "And Muse have some pretty good albums, I must say. Do you have a favourite?" Laura smiled at this, and said, "You shouldn't ask an impossible question, sir. I'm afraid I can't answer that." Mr Smith smiled, and said, "Fair enough, though nothing is impossible. We'll just label it as nearly unanswerable. Now, we still have 15 minutes of class left. I want you to draw a picture of your favourite thing in the world." Mr Smith turned to fetch some paper, and after he handed it out, he said, "oh, and to make it TECHNICALLY physics, make sure your arm is at a comfortable 'angle'," he stressed the word 'angle' and winked at them all. He came over to Laura's desk, and whispered, “how was that for a first impression?" Laura smiled and whispered back "couldn't have been better, Doctor." Mr Smith grinned, went back his desk, pulled out a Thor comic and began to read. Laura looked over the room and saw Cain give her two thumbs up and a mouthed 'could we have gotten a better teacher?' She smiled and went back to her drawing of a tent in the woods.

 

 

Chapter 4 Strange…

A month had passed, and nothing had changed. Not much. The same daily routine for Laura. Get up, get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast and walk with John to the bus stop, which she didn’t find strange, or awkward as most students would feel if they were to get a close friendship with their physics teacher, but neither Laura nor John found it uncomfortable in the slightest. One would wait on the other (depending on who was out first) at the wall that connected the gardens of both houses, and they would talk merrily until they went their separate ways at the school gates. John to the staff room and Laura to her Form class.  
“Alright, Laura?” asked Cain, as Laura took her seat beside him in the classroom. “Not bad, Cain. And yourself?” “Good, good. Just you and me today,” said Cain, gesturing to the empty seat behind them, “Jen’s got a fever. So she gets to stay at home on Tumblr all day while we rot in this prison.” Laura smiled, and replied “Yeah, but it’s not all good. Jen’s probably feeling really miserable,’’ ‘’Well yeah, of course, but we’ll be miserable later,’’ Cain didn’t look happy. Laura waited for him to explain what he meant. ‘’The Spanish test! Didn’t you remember?’’ Laura’s heart skipped a beat. She’d completely forgotten. This test was worth 30% of her mark for the winter exams! ‘’Uh…’’ ‘’You complete and utter eejit!’’ laughed Cain, ‘’Mrs O’Shaughnessy will kill you!’’ ‘’It’s not her I’m worried about’’ Laura was worried about what her mum would do. Take away her phone? Her computer? Or, Laura couldn’t bear the thought, her PLAYSTATION. ‘’No. NO. Spanish is 4th lesson, right? I can just… skip break and use the time to scan my book. I’d have half an hour. And if I’m lucky whatever god is up there might grant me with a photographic memory for 45 minutes!’’ It sounded ridiculous, but you never know. Cain chuckled, and said ‘’Ah, maybe.’’

As Laura was getting on the bus at the end of the day, she saw something strange out of the corner of her eye. She tried to find what it was, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Thinking she was imagining things, Laura went to her usual seat on the bus and sat down, happy, as Mrs O’ Shaughnessy was off and wouldn’t be in until Monday, giving her the weekend to study. Looking out of the window, something moved again. Laura scanned the near-empty car park, and saw something… strange. An Unusual thing to find in a car park. Just as she running through a list of possibilities to why it was there, a voice next to Laura made her look up. ‘’Hello!’’ said John with a smile, taking the seat next to her. ‘’Hi John!’’ ‘’Want a bit of chocolate?’’ he asked. Laura said yes and he split his Galaxy bar and gave half of it to her. ‘’Thanks’’ said Laura. ‘’You want some Jelly Beans?’’ she asked. (Splitting sweets on a Friday had sort of become a regular thing with them now) ‘’Sure.’’ Replied John. ‘’Thanks.’’ As the bus began to move, Laura took a bite of chocolate and looked out the window again at the thing that had caught her attention a minute before.  
A statue of an angel that seemed to be crying.  
Or weeping.

 

Chapter 5 Gone  
The bus shuddered to a halt at the stop, allowing it’s passengers to get out and go home. There were few people on the bus, as not many would live this far out in the country side. ‘’Would you and your mum like to come over for tea tomorrow afternoon?’’ asked John, as he and Laura were walking up the road towards home. ‘’Yeah, please, thanks. That would be nice.’’ But then Laura remembered something. ‘’Oh, wait. My mum is working late tomorrow, so she can’t. Sorry.’’ John simply shrugged his shoulders and said; ‘’Ah right. Maybe she would like to some other time. Will you still come over though?’’ ‘’I should be able to, yeah. I’ll ask my mum and let you know.’’ Laura knew her mother would say yes, but she still had to ask. ‘’Alrighty, then. Well, if you’re allowed just swing by tomorrow. About… 4 or 5 o’clock? What do you think?’’ ‘’Sounds good, yeah. See you tomorrow, then. And thanks!’’  
‘’No problem. And bring a multiplayer PlayStation game! I’m getting rather bored with mine. Just no FIFA!’’ ‘’Haha, okay! And I don’t play FIFA anyway, so no worries. I’ll surprise you! With my skills…’’  
‘’We shall see, Laura Hale. We shall see.’’

Laura spent about half an hour that night trying to choose a game. Call of Duty? Guitar Hero? She really wanted to bring Assassin’s Creed, but it was only online multiplayer. She eventually settled for Skate 2 and Need for Speed. She avoided the warfare games, because John didn’t seem to go in for that kind of stuff. And anyway, the Hall of Meat challenges in Skate are always a good laugh. Laura went downstairs to tell her mum she was going to John’s for tea tomorrow afternoon. ‘’Mum, John invited me for tea at his house tomorrow,’’ she said. ’’He invited you too, but you’re working so he said he’ll invite you again sometime when you’re not.’’ ‘’oh…’’ Laura’s mum paused thoughtfully for a moment. ‘’I suppose I know him well enough. Ok. I see no problem in you going. And remember your manners!’’ ‘’Know him well en…’’ Laura had to think a moment about what Rose meant by ‘know him well enough’. When she understood, she replied ‘’Oh. Oh okay. Yeah, I’ll remember my manners, don’t worry. And I don’t think kidnapping is exactly John’s speed.’’ ‘’You never know. Looks can be deceiving. Anyway, that means I won’t see you until Saturday, then. There’s a pizza in the freezer if you get peckish tomorrow night. You know how the oven works. Don’t stay up too late. I’ll be back at about 5am. And don’t be too noisy getting up for school tomorrow morning! I need as much sleep as I can get’’ Laura gave her mum a look, and fake coughed ‘’*cough* hypocrite *cough*’’ Rose just laughed. That’s what’s so great about Rose.

The next day was Saturday. Laura woke at eleven and had her breakfast. At 12, Laura decided to run over to the local corner shop and buy a bag of red and blue jelly beans. That was another thing she and John had in common. The red and blue jelly beans were both their favourites. After she bought them, she decided to go home and watch some TV.  
Laura was flicking through the movie channels, and found her favourite movie, Hanna, which started in 10 minutes. She decided to make herself a cup of tea, and a cup of tea for her mother and bring it up to her in bed. As Laura was putting the tea bags into the cups, she heard a loud bang upstairs. From what sounded like her mother’s room. ‘Maybe she dropped something,’ thought Laura, and went on making the tea. When it was made, Laura went up the stairs and into her mother’s bedroom, only to find the big floor lamp beside the bed overturned, the bed a mess, and her mother gone.

Chapter 6 Tea. And a Blue Box

*Note: From this point onward or until I decide otherwise, this will be in 1st person mode, with an opening as to whomever it may be.

LAURA’S POV  
Where was she? Did she leave early? But why didn’t she tell me, or leave a note, or make the bed, and why the HELL was the lamp overturned? So many questions were spinning in my head. I needed to phone her. I set the tea down on the bedside locker and took my phone out my back pocket. The phone rang out, so I tried again. And again. And again, 4 times before I gave up. Maybe she had an emergency meeting. Mum mentioned those before, right? And anyway, something like this had happened before. She got a call from work as to whether or not she would be able to make it for a certain time and work then instead of that night. Maybe that’s what happened. But even then, she left me note. Maybe she was in a really big hurry, and figured I would come this conclusion. I relaxed a bit. If mum did leave for a meeting, she would be back at about 9 tonight. Late hours, but mum enjoyed her work, so she didn’t mind. I shivered as a draught came across the room. I looked over and realized the patio doors on the other side of mum’s room were wide open. This was probably what caused the bang, a gust of wind knocking the lamp over. I walked over to close them, and as I slid them shut and locked the door, I noticed something in the back garden. An angel statue, THE angel statue that I had seen yesterday. ‘’What in…’’ I rushed downstairs, through the kitchen and to the back door that led to the garden. I threw it open and looked around the garden. There was nothing there. I stared hard at the spot where I THOUGHT I saw that crying angel. ‘’Jesus, Laura.’’ I said to myself. ‘’Too many Jammie Dodgers.’’ I turned around and went back inside to watch my movie.

When the movie was over, I looked at the clock on the mantel piece, which read 3 o’clock. I decided I would go to John’s at half 4, since he said either 4 or 5, I would choose the in-between. I went upstairs to have a quick shower and put on jeans, my new Skyrim T-Shirt and my Joker Converse, which I LOVED. When I was dressed, I looked at the clock which now read 4:26pm. I grabbed the games, the jelly beans and set off to John’s.  
JOHN’S POV  
‘’Its times like this I wish I still had that chameleon circuit,’’ I muttered to myself, as I was busy in the TARDIS’s kitchen, choosing from a large selection of biscuits and tea bags. How was I going to explain the TARDIS to Laura? Ah, well. I’d think of something. I finally settled for Typhoo tea, Maryland cookies and Jammie Dodgers. As I left the TARDIS, shutting the door behind me, the doorbell went. I smiled. More than likely Laura. I really did like this girl, you know. She was so friendly. I never really got along with most teenagers. Never in the mood for a friendly conversation with their teacher. But not Laura. No. I set the stuff down on the coffee table, and went to open the door. ‘’Hi, Laura! How are you?’’ I asked, as I opened the door, and saw her smiling face.  
‘’I’m fine, thanks. And yourself?’’  
‘’Good, good. Come on in!’’  
‘’Thanks’’

LAURA’S POV

I walked through John’s door. His hallway was plain, but not bare. It was rather nice. I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never exactly been friendly enough with a teacher to be invited over to their house. ‘’I brought you jelly beans,’’ I said, handing him the bag I bought earlier. ‘’Yay! My favourites! Thanks!’’ ‘’You’re welcome. I uh, I brought Skate 2 and Need for Speed.’’ ‘’Good choices,’’ said John. ‘’I haven’t played skate 2 yet. You wanna have a go at that first?’’ ‘’Yeah, sure,’’ I replied. ‘’Okay, then. I’ve just gotta fetch something upstairs, and you stick the disk in and get it started for me. The channel’s HDMI1.’’  
I was walking into John’s kitchen, to get to the living room, and suddenly there was a bright blue in front of me, and I hit my face off it. Not a tap, a full on SMACK. The blue thing rattled a bit, and I took a step back, holding my nose. It wasn’t bleeding, but it hurt and made my eyes water. What I was looking was what seemed to be a cubic blue box. A police box, according to the words written in black letter at its top. John came running in; ‘’what was that noise? Are you all right?’’ ‘’Yeah, I’m fine,’’ I replied. ‘’Just getting friendly with the blue box. What is it?’’ ‘’Oh, uh… it’s uh…’’ John was struggling to find words to describe it. ‘’Just some… retro thing I bought a few years back.’’ He said. ‘’Just for decoration. Did it hurt you bad?’’ ‘’Nah,’’ I replied. ‘’Just wasn’t expecting to bump into a police box in a kitchen. I’m okay. I’ll uh… just stick this in?’’ ‘’Yeah, okay. I’ll be in in a minute. You’re sure you’re alright?’’  
‘’Positive,’’ I smiled. John smiled back. I walked into the living room, switched to HDMI1 and stuck Skate 2 in the disk slot of the PlayStation. Then, after the game had loaded, John walked in with a tray of tea and biscuits. ‘’Tea.’’ He said. ‘’Thanks.’’ Said I. He set the tea on the coffee table, and said to me, ‘’Let me have a look at your nose. Judging from the sound you hit it pretty hard.’’ ‘’I’m fine, I promise,’’ I said, not wanting cause a fuss. Besides, if he put his hands on my face I’d end up blushing. And when I blush, it looks like the stripes on the American flag. My forehead stays not-blushy for some reason, and the rest of my face turns red. ‘’Laura, please just let me look. I’m a qualified medical Doctor as well, so you can trust me, okay?’’ I looked into his deep brown eyes, and agreed. He took my face in his hands, and gently probed around the sides of my nose, turning my face slightly here and there. Don’t blush. DON’T. BLUSH. I was putting all my effort into thinking about anything but his beautiful, brown eyes. ‘’It looks okay,’’ said John. He turned my face to face his. I stared into his eyes, and he stared into mine. He smiled, let go of my face and turned away to pick up the PlayStation remote, and I turned away to pick up mine, and all I can say at that moment, was that Betsy Ross herself would be impressed with my face.

We spent about 2 hours playing the Hall of meat challenges. And it was the most fun I’ve had in years. My mum didn’t like games, and my dad died when I was 3, so I had no one to enjoy these things with. Jenny didn’t play games either and Cain’s parents wouldn’t by him a console, as it ‘rots the brain’. I looked at the clock, which read quarter to seven. Mum should be home at nine. ‘’You like Jammie Dodgers?’’ Asked John. ‘’Like is a bit of an understatement. I ate half a packet today. Mums gonna kill me. I started hallucinating. Like, Really realistic hallucinations’’ I laughed. ‘’what were these hallucinations, if I may ask?’’ Laughed John. ‘’Well, I was up in my mum’s room to bring her a cup of tea. But she wasn’t there and the bed was a mess, so she must have left early. The window-door thing was open so I went to close it, and there was this… angel statue thing out in the garden. I went out to check and it was gone! Just like that!’’ John stared at me, unbelieving with a teacup half to his lips. ‘’You…what? It what?! Its hands, tell me about its hands! Were they covering its face? Like it was weeping?’’ He seemed really stressed, scared even. This surprised me. ‘’It, well, yeah, but I was just imagining things. I’ve imagined it before, anyway. On the bus on Friday.’’ John suddenly put his teacup on the coffee table, grabbed my hand (MAJOR flag moment) and pulled me to the kitchen towards the blue box, saying; ‘’Okay, don’t freak out, but I know what you’re talking about.’’ He pulled a key on a piece of string from around his neck and fitted it into a slot in the door of the box. He opened it and pulled me through, and what I saw inside made my American flag face disappear, and be replaced be a completely white face. 

 

Chapter 7-  
Have you ever had a dream, be it scary, funny, strange, embarrassing … but it’s always realistic, isn’t it? I’m not gonna lie, I’ve had my fair share of unbelievable moments, like when I scored the winning goal at my Gaelic match three years prior. We had won the U14 league for the first time in 7 years, and I was a part of that. That was a different kind of unbelievable.  
The ‘unbelievable’ that was staring me right in the face, however, was what looked like a giant console room. John had let go of my hand and was pulling levers and flicking switches on the big metal control-pole. “It’s… It’s…” “Bigger on the inside, yes,” the Doctor finished. “But how can…what…how…” I put my hand on the railing of the walkway to steady myself. Yes, it had a walkway to the centre. That’s how freakin’ big the place was. “Shut the door and come here” said John. “I’ll explain everything.” “Right, Okay.” I shut the doors behind me, and walked towards John, who said; “Hold on tight.” I grabbed the rails in front of just in time, as the whole room felt like it was picked up and thrown into the air. There was a strange sound that I can’t quite describe, but it was like a ‘Vwoooorp. Vwoooorp’ kind of sound. “What’s happening? What are you doing?” John was running about the control-pole like a mad man, flicking switches here and hitting it with a hammer there. The motions stopped immediately. “Come on,” said John, grabbing my hand again and pulling me outside. ”What. The. Hell.” We weren’t in John’s kitchen anymore. We were on a small island, swarming with people.  
“Where are we, John?” John stopped, looking at me and saying, “First off, my name isn’t John. It’s the Doctor. Secondly, we are in New York, 1985. And to answer your more-than-probable next question, we are here because it’s a safe place for me to explain to you that I am a Time-Lord from the planet Gallifrey in the Kasterborous constellation. The thing we just travelled in is called the TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It’s a time-machine, and we just travelled three years into the past. Anymore questions?” I just stood there with my mouth wide open for about 5 seconds before I picked myself up a bit to reply;  
‘’So… you’re an Alien? “  
“Yep.”  
“You’re not John?”  
“Nope.”  
“And you’re a time-traveller?”  
“Uh huh.”  
“And we just travelled back in time?  
“Yup.”  
“Okay then. Alrighty.”  
“You’re taking this surprisingly well,” said the Doctor. ”I’ve always said nothing’s impossible. This is just highly unlikely.” Truth is, I was actually freaking out a little. The Doctor nodded his head affirmingly, before I continued. “When I mentioned those statues to you… you looked… panicky. Like you knew what I was talking about.” He nodded his head again. “They are called Weeping Angels. Extremely fast. Extremely clever. They look like ordinary angel statues, but trust me, they’re the complete opposite. If they do so much as touch you, they will send you back to a different time period so you live to death. They stay alive by feeding off the Time-Energy of what remaining life you were supposed to have. Pretty much the only things in the universe to kill you nicely.’’ My head was starting to spin. Was this what took my mother? How do we know what time period to look in?  
“What about my mum? Is there any way of finding her again?” The Doctor looked at me, his eyes full of sympathy. “Laura, I… I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. But there is nothing I can do. She could be anywhere in history.  
My whole world came crumbling down. My mum, the only person I had left in this world, was gone, and I was never going to see her again. The tears were rolling down my cheeks. Just the thought of my mother alone, with no clue as to what had happened, it broke my heart. What if something happened to her? What if she got trampled by a dinosaur or killed by Jack the Ripper? Everything faded and the last thing I remember was the Doctor throwing his arms outwards to catch me before I hit the ground.  
When I opened my eyes, I was in a bedroom, lying on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed with cartoon dinosaur sheets. I sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I did so. I noticed a jug of water and a glass on the nightstand beside me, so I poured a glass while trying to remember what had happened. It all came flooding back to me in a torrent of memories. The Weeping Angels taking my mum, John-The Doctor- being a Time-Lord and the TARDIS being his Time-Machine… I sipped the water slowly, and just sat there for what must have been half an hour, before a voice at the door made me look up. “How are you feeling?” It was the Doctor, Looking at me with a concerned expression. “Terrible.” I said, getting up off the bed and pacing the room. “Where are we?” “Back in the TARDIS, floating around the Time Vortex until you get back on your feet.” The Doctor didn’t take his eyes off me, watching me with an unreadable expression just waiting to hear what I would say next. “We’re… Still in the TARDIS?” But how could that be? The only bit I had seen was the control centre. Was there more to this thing than I’d thought? “The TARDIS is Dimensionally Transcendental, which means it’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.” “Okay then. That’s normal.” I sat back down on the bed again, but this time the Doctor sat beside me. “What’s going to happen to me? I have no family left. What am I going to tell everyone?” The Doctor put his arm around my shoulders and gripped them gently. “Laura… when you were asleep, I went back to your house. There was nothing there, so I checked the rest of the village. There was nothing there either. No statues, nothing. The time-energy your mother gave out must have satisfied the Angels enough to leave the village. And I don’t think they’re coming back. It’s safe now.” “But mum won’t be there.” “No, she won’t. I’m so, so sorry. But there was nothing I could have done. Nothing anyone could have done.” That was it. I was going to an orphanage. Unless… “Doctor, if this is a Time-Machine, can’t we just do some Emmett Brown voodoo and grab her before the angels do?” Hope filled me. That could work! I expected the Doctor’s face to light up with realization, expected him to grab my hand again, take me to the control pole, flip some switches and bring my mum back. Instead, his face fell even more. “Laura, you have no idea how much I wish I could do that. I really do. But that is a fixed point in time now. If we were to go back and change that, it would rip the fabric the space/time continuum. It would leave a black hole in the universe which would destroy everything. We just can’t do it.” Everything crumbled again. My last spark of hope was gone. “How old are you?” asked the Doctor.  
”14. Why?”  
“You come of age in 4 years. And I doubt you want to go to an orphanage?”  
“No, of course not. What are you suggesting?”  
“What I’m suggesting is… well, would you like to travel with me until then?”

 

Chapter 8  
The 2ND of May

It’s been four years. Four years of travelling. Ancient Rome, Aliens, Futuristic Venus and New New New New New New New York. These are but a few of what the Doctor has shown me. I’ve only been to earth twice since I left, not including anything outside my own timeline. The first was to explain (or lie about) my absence to Cain and Jen. I told them I was moving to America immediately, as Mum had an emergency job transfer. It was bit more difficult to explain to them how a dental nurse could HAVE an emergency job transfer, but I made something up. The second time was when the Doctor took me back home to have a day with Cain and Jenny a year ago. Jenny had been going out with her crush, Aidan, for two years, and they seemed really happy together. Cain didn’t seem to mind hanging about with them, because from what I could see, no matter how much they were in love, Jen and Aidan made sure Cain wasn’t left out. Cain had gotten taller, his voice had broken, and he’d grown stubble. The only thing that hadn’t changed about him was his personality. Same humour, same music interest - same interest in everything, actually – and I was grateful for that. Jen was more or less the same as well, apart from her new love of make-up, which, thankfully, she didn’t cake herself in. It was a bit of a shock seeing them again. We were all seventeen, and hadn’t seen each other in three years. I didn’t tell them I was coming, just waited at the school gates for them to come out. When they did, I almost didn’t notice them because they’d changed so much. Apparently I hadn’t, because a shrill voice yelled “LAURAAAAAAA!!!” and I was nearly tackled to the ground by a hug from an excited Jenny, which Cain joined in on after he got over his shock. We ignored all the stares and went to get a coffee and catch up.  
The Doctor hadn’t ignored my education, though. After my first year travelling, the Doctor took me to the planet Scarseros, which is basically the universe’s main university. After a word with a professor there and a flash of his Psychic paper (long story) we were shown to an bare white room, with nothing in it except a silver orb that looked like one of things that made you hair stand up when you touched it. The professor had left room, leaving me and the Doctor alone. “Touch it,” he had said. “Touch that orb, and you will have all the knowledge you would get in High School and University, with nothing missing.” “Whoa. How does that work? What if someone was to steal it? Isn’t knowledge dangerous? The security here seems pretty poor.” The Doctor smiled, and replied, “It’s a very complex structure. But to put it bluntly, this orb can read the DNA and race of whatever touches it. It will then transfer all the knowledge that that creature would have received had they attained the basic degree of education of their planet. The reason no one can steal it is because it is on an alarm circuit. If you try to lift the orb, it triggers the pedestal. Try to lift the pedestal, it triggers the floor. Try to lift the floor, it triggers the university and so on so forth until it leads to the planet, which would be extremely hard to take, and to hide, for that matter. So no, Laura. The security here is not poor. We’re talking top-notch.  
Needless to say I had touched the orb. What I felt was neither pain nor sedation. I felt the knowledge filling my mind. I saw answers to the questions I had always asked but never received the answer to. I saw all the formulas I had always struggled to learn. I saw all the answers to the world’s problems that were so simple that they could easily be fixed if the world actually came together to sort them out. I let go of the orb, and all that knowledge was still there. The Doctor was smiling at me, and he said, “The thing about having all the combined knowledge of your planet Laura, means you may or may not be smarter than Steven Hawking now.” “What, really? Are you serious?” It was such a different feeling. The only thing I was hoping is that when I returned to Earth, I wouldn’t be spouting out all these random facts to strangers in the street against my will. “You’re still not as smart as me, though,” said the Doctor. “It’s not a miracle orb.” We both laughed, and he grabbed my hand to take me to our next destination.

“Laura?” called the Doctor. “C’mere a minute.” I ran over to the Doctor, who was looking at a monitor that the TARDIS had. “Do you know what day it is?” he asked. “Uh… Thursday?” I guessed, laughing. I hadn’t the faintest what day it was. Neither of us really kept up with the date. We only looked about once every year, on my… birthday. The Doctor looked sad, like he’d experienced something similar to this before, and was dreading it happening again, yet here it was. “It’s the 2nd of May, isn’t it?” I said. “My 18th birthday.” The Doctor nodded sadly and looked back at the monitor. “Do I… do I have to go back today?” I asked. “No, of course not.” He said, without his usual smile. Hope filled my heart again, until the Doctor continued, “Tomorrow. After I sort out some things for you.” The hope left me again like a balloon losing its air. “Ah, right okay then. Happy Birthday to me.” It was a poor attempt at a joke and I knew it. The Doctor smiled weakly nevertheless. I went over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, putting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around in return and we stayed like for I don’t know how long. “I don’t want you to go, you know.” He said. “I said I would leave you back when you came of age, and I’m afraid that if I wait any longer I won’t be able to leave you back. I couldn’t do it.” I could see where he was coming from. If I stayed any longer I wouldn’t be able to leave either. He promised to leave me back, and I had a life to finish on Earth. I had to go to University so I could get a job, and get a job so I could have a family someday. Even though I had unimaginable knowledge, I still needed that piece of paper and ribbon to prove I had it. “I know,” I said quietly. “And I understand. You’ve given me the privilege of seeing all these things, and the privilege of meeting you. You’ve given me so much that I can never repay you, and I’m grateful.” I don’t care if I sounded cheesy. I meant what I said and I knew the Doctor did too. “We still have a whole day left. Let’s make it a good one, hm?” I forced a smile on my face again, and I have a suspicion that the Doctor’s was forced as well. “What are we gonna do?” I asked, trying to sound as excited as possible. “I’m thinking… a picnic on the beaches of Pluto, and afterwards we go to the biggest theme park in the galaxy. What do you think?” “That sounds perfect. Let’s go!” I was determined to enjoy myself. If this was my last day with the Doctor, I wasn’t going to make myself miserable by thinking about leaving tomorrow. So we went and enjoyed ourselves, and by the end of the day we were both so tired that as soon as we reached my room we fell asleep in each other’s arms.

I woke up, and the first thing that entered my mind was the previous day, and how good it felt to fall asleep with the Doctor beside me. Then I remembered why all these things had happened in the first place. I was leaving today. I didn’t even lie there thinking about it. I got up immediately and started packing away all my things. Anything to take my mind off crying. When I was done, I picked up my small case and went to find the Doctor. I found him pacing the control room. Not looking busy or distracted, but sad. He stopped as soon as he saw me, and beckoned me forward with finger. I dropped my case and when I reached him, he handed me two documents. “These are your GCSE’s and A-Levels.” He said, pointing to a brown document. “This is the rights to your house, your keys, your driving licence and your bank details. I’ve also got several acceptance letters from the top Universities in the world, in case you’re interested. They havn’t got an expiry date.” He wasn’t smiling. Instead he turned me around and put all these documents in my backpack. He then presumed to pick up my suitcase, grab hold of my hand gently lead me out of the TARDIS doors for the last time, with an almost inaudible “We’re here.”

After I had used the keys to open the doors of the house I had grown up in, which was now my home, I led the Doctor in and looked around, still holding his hand. Nothing had changed. Not even an extra speck of dust. It was if I had only left yesterday. “Do you want a cup of tea?” I asked the Doctor, who was setting down my suitcase. “No, thanks. I should… probably get going.” “Oh. Okay.” I was not going to cry. Not now. Maybe later when there was no one there to see me. I had a fair idea of how his man worked, and suspected that I was never going to speak to him again. “Come on.” He said, pulling me back outside towards the garage. He opened the doors, but not before he told me to close my eyes tight. No peeking. I did as I was asked and shut my eyes. I felt the Doctor grab my hand again and lead me inside. “Okay. Open them.” I opened my eyes, and what I saw made my jaw drop. “That’s… That’s…”The Doctor tossed a bunch of keys at me and said, “Your favourite car, I know. You showed me a picture on your phone once and said ‘that’s my favourite car.’” I was looking at a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. The car of my dreams that I’d thought I’d never have. “Doctor, this… this is…” “I know.” He said. “I’m incredible.” That was when I wrapped my arms around him tight. “Thank you so much.” “You’re welcome.” He replied, holding me tight. ”Please don’t crash her.” I laughed and let go. “I won’t, I promise.” We stood staring into each other’s eyes for a while, just standing there together, before he took my face in his hands and kissed me. Properly. I didn’t know what to think about it at the time so I kissed him back, but now I know it was his way of saying goodbye without words. “Promise me you’ll look after yourself,” he said, stepping back and still holding my face.  
“I Promise. You look after yourself, too, space-man.”  
“I promise.”  
He kissed my forehead, let go of my face and walked away towards the TARDIS. I stayed there staring after him until he and the TARDIS both faded away.  
*****  
It had been only two days since the Doctor had left me back. I hadn’t spoken to anyone yet. I had a stocked kitchen and everything I needed. I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone yet, and I needed to think of reasons to explain why I was here without my mother and so on so forth. I was staring blankly at the television when there was a knock at the door. Who in under god could that be? No one knew I was here, did they? I had thought about just sitting there until the person went away, but they were persistent. They had knocked another three times before my curiosity got the better of and I got up to find out who was so eager to speak with me. When I opened the door, a man of about 30 stood there, staring at me, like he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Uhm… Laura?” he asked nervously. “Yes? Who are you?” The man said nothing, but handed me an envelope that had my name on it. I looked at him quizzically, while he remained staring at me with wonder in his eyes. Tearing open the envelope, I impatiently took out the letter and began to read;

 

 

Dear Laura,  
Remember me? The person who fed you and clothed you woke you from your slumber at 8 on a weekend morning? I hope you do, because most people remember their mother.  
If Aaron has done what he was asked, then he is standing in front of you waiting to explain everything after you have finished reading this. To this day, I still don’t know how it happened, but I was sent back in time. 1969, to be exact. I’ve had a good life, but if you’re reading this now, and I’m not telling you in person, then the Cancer has taken me. I’m not suffering as I write this, and I don’t I have long left. I am 62 years old currently, with a husband and a child. My child stands in front of you, and he is your brother. I met my husband on my first day of being stuck in 1969, and he was pretty much the only person who didn’t think I was crazy. We married a few years after and had Aaron a year after that. I just wish I wasn’t taken when you were at such a young age. I’ve always wondered what happen to you, and was constantly fretting over whether you would be looked after properly. Anyway, I don’t know what age you are now reading this, as I told Aaron to give it to you as soon as he found you, but I can bet you’ve grown to be a fine young woman, and I only wish I was there to watch that happen. My husband Nicholas and Aaron will look after you, and make sure you are safe. They’ve promised me, and I trust them more than anything. I love you dearly, and I always will.  
Love,  
Mum.

I was staring at the letter in my hand, re-reading it over and over. Mum was dead. She had died. And my brother was standing in front of me. A brother I didn’t even know I had. “Come in.” I said to him. “We both have a lot of explaining to do.”

 

 

 

 

 

Epilogue *7 years later*

I felt arms around my waist from behind me and a gentle kiss on my cheek. “Making coffee?” asked my Fiancé. “No, I’m just pouring hot water and gravy granules into a mug for the fun of it.” I said sarcastically, smiling. “Woohoo, coffee!” It was Aaron and Nicholas, who had just come in the front door. “Hey guys. You want a cup?”  
“Yeah, please. That’d be great, sis.”  
“Nicholas?”  
“Yes please, dear.”  
I was getting married in three days, and I can’t remember the last time I was so excited. “Yo Yo Yo” It was Jen and Aidan. And their baby. “Helloooo. I’m guessing you guys want coffee as well?” “Naturally.” Said Aidan. “And Simon?” I said, pointing the little boy.” Uh, no. I don’t think giving your Godson coffee is a good example.” Smiled Jen. “Anyway,” she continued. “You two lovebirds excited for the wedding?” I was ecstatic. Everything had worked out perfectly after Aaron came to me with the letter. I’d gone to Oxford University and got a degree in Geography, which I now taught at my old High School, I’d settled back into the normal village life and only thought of the Doctor occasionally. Wherever he was, I hoped he was happy, because I really was. I looked over at my soon-to-be-groom. “Are we?” I asked teasingly. “Yes,” said Cain. “Yes we are.

The End.


End file.
